ACO Marine’s ‘IKEA Idea’ Saves Space For Bibby Polaris

ACO Marine has been awarded a contract to supply a Clarimar MF-10 wastewater treatment plant to the 8234t Dive Support Vessel (DSV) Bibby Polaris.

The vessel’s current wastewater management arrangement will be converted to the Clarimar system during a planned refit later this year at an undisclosed European shipyard. The contract was signed just prior to September’s SMM exhibition in Hamburg, Germany.

ACO Marine will deliver a flat-packed version of its Clarimar MF for retrofit installation to Bibby Polaris

Mark Beavis, Managing Director, ACO Marine, explained that the system will be gravity-based and designed for treating black water only. However, in what marks a first for wastewater treatment system suppliers, the Clarimar unit will be supplied IKEA-like and flat packed.

“Changing the vessel’s current wastewater management system to one capable of meeting new MEPC 227(64) requirements was a challenge given the limited space available, so we decided to deliver the system as a flat pack for erection and welding onboard by a specialist team of welders. We have completed a number of Clarimar retrofit projects but this is certainly the first one where we will supply the complete unit in this way,” said Beavis.

“This novel approach to equipment supply means that we don’t have to cut holes in the side of the ship to get systems in-situ,” said Alex Munro, Vessel Manager, Dive Support Vessels, V.Ships Offshore. ‘ACO Marine will deliver the system sheet-by-sheet and then build the unit in the space we have available, reducing installation time and costs. It makes perfect sense.”

Since 2014, when the new Clarimar MF range was introduced to the market, the German-headquartered manufacturer has supplied more than 100 units for installation to a wide range of offshore support vessels. The delivery of Acta Marine’s state-of-the-art windfarm vessel Acta Orion in September 2015 provided a first offshore vessel reference for the system.

“Despite current market conditions, the offshore and renewable energy sectors remain important markets for ACO Marine,” said Beavis. “We are seeing increased interest from offshore vessel owners, particularly those with operations in the North Sea, where water treatment solutions have to be capable of operating in high sea states without detriment to performance.”

The Clarimar MF range is manufactured entirely in the EU from high performance materials which, unlike coated black steel, is completely corrosion resistant and light weight, the system’s modular design affords simple installation and requires only one power connection. “From an operational perspective it is has the lowest running costs of any sewage treatment plant on the market,” said Beavis.